This invention is generally directed to telephone and computer accessible information systems for providing subscribers with continuously updated information regarding a variety of subjects or topics of interest. In a preferred embodiment, the invention is directed to a traffic information system for advising travelers of conditions along vehicular routings in metropolitan areas and more specifically to a traffic information system which may optionally transmit information directly to subscribers by way of telephone, mobile telephone, computers and personalized pagers. The system is designed to enable subscribers to immediately obtain specific and updated information utilizing analog or digital communication equipment or combinations of equipment. The system is further designed to continuously monitor various conditions such as the conditions along various vehicular routings and automatically initiates call-back information to a subscriber's telephone, computer or digital pager in the event any significant changes in conditions have developed. In alternative embodiments, information such as airline, train and bus schedule information, stock market activities, news reports, specific directions and related travel information may be made available to a subscriber. Further, once a subscriber has accessed the system, update or response information may be selectively transmitted to a subscriber's personal computer, telephone and/or alpha numeric pager.
2. History of the Related Art
One of the major and evergoing problems in metropolitan areas is the overcrowding of streets and highways due to increased commuter traffic. Anyone whose has ever lived, worked or traveled through a major urban area during the primary commuting or rush hours has experienced the frustration and exhaustion of bumper-to-bumper stop and go traffic conditions. A single mishap or accident along a major arterial road or highway can create hours of delays in commuter travel time and may effect thousands of motorists.
The problems associated with commuting in major city areas not only causes immense emotional and physical frustration for those immediately affected by the long delays but also takes its toll in increasing the potential risk of additional accidents and/or injuries. Further, such delays increase automobile emissions which adversely effect the quality of air and the environment. Some psychologists have said that the daily stress of commuting can lead to reduced work productivity, strained family relationships, and heart disease. Such delays also account for losses in business revenues due to reduced employee work time, missed appointments and the like.
In an effort to alleviate the commuter traffic problem, cities and local governments have begun spending large revenues to build or expand mass transit systems including expanded bus and commuter rail services. Unfortunately, most transit systems cannot and have not been totally effective in alleviating the traffic problem associated with traveling along urban area highways during peak use hours. In more recent efforts to monitor highway traffic conditions, city, state and local governments have begun utilizing video surveillance systems, electronic traffic detection devices as well as increased traffic reporters and spotters both along highways and in the air. Using continuously updated traffic information, local authorities are attempting to respond more quickly to exigent conditions which can cause major traffic back-ups such as accidents, breakdowns or faulty traffic control including stoplights or ramp control lights along major arterials.
Government monitoring and control of traffic conditions are helpful but not preventive of large traffic tie-ups. During peak travel hours, if traffic flow is interrupted for only a period of minutes, the resultant back-ups can create gridlock and cause hours of commuter delays in travel time. Realizing that commuters and not just government agencies are in need of local traffic information, commercial businesses have been created to provide such information to local television and radio broadcast systems. Such commercial businesses not only monitor information received from local governments, police, fire and rescue sources but also receive direct reports from individuals who travel the various commuter routings during peak or rush hours. The broadcasters barter the information which has been assembled and make it available to their listeners.
Because traffic information is one of the foremost concerns of many radio and television audiences, some stations further supplement information received from both commercial and government sources with their own traffic spotters both on the ground and in the air. Air traffic services enable broadcasters to receive and transmit reports of existing traffic conditions by low flying aircraft who can reach the scene of a traffic problem very quickly and without being delayed by local vehicular traffic. Unfortunately, an aircraft can only be in one area at a given time and in most metropolitan areas, it may take up to an hour or more to fly a complete circuit around the city. Also, aircraft reports are only possible when weather conditions permit aircraft to be in service.
The primary shortcoming of the presently utilized metropolitan traffic information systems is that they are not responsive to the traveler. The systems are necessarily limited to making generalized information available. Such information may be specific to certain groups of commuters using a common route or arterial in a given hour but are not effective in providing commuters on differing routes continuously updated information regarding the travel conditions to be expected along their routes or alternative routings. All too often, commuters await information by way of a chosen broadcast system relevant to their route, only to find that the reports are too late and they are already caught in time-delaying back-ups, or because conditions have changed moments after a traffic spotter or aircraft reporter has passed a given area, they are led to believe that their route is open and traffic moving smoothly only to find that they are now just one vehicle in an arterial parking lot.
Information systems have been proposed that will make traffic information directly available to specific vehicles. Some of these systems utilize central processing stations which transmit information to vehicles at given areas or locations. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,506 to Turco, a routing computer system is disclosed wherein a vehicle operator may utilize an onboard computer system to access data concerning routings between two points. The computer provides a visual read-out of directions to travel from one point to another. The system also includes circuitry which will provide or indicate alternative routings in the event a preferred route becomes blocked or tied-up. Unfortunately, such a system requires the use of a vehicle mounted computer having keyboard and video display equipment which are not only not practical but are not cost effective for individual commuters. Further, such systems are only designed to provide alternative route information in the event a back-up is encountered. There is no provision for updating or monitoring existing traffic conditions in order to provide information to avoid a particular route. In essence, the system is an electronic mapping data base which provides route designations between points but not present traffic conditions.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,970 to Tomkewitsch, another traffic routing and information system is disclosed. In this system, stationary routing status transmission poles are used to monitor traffic flow and to transmit information concerning traffic conditions to passing vehicles. The system requires that passing vehicles to be equipped with equipment capable of transmitting travel time information between the fixed pole locations in a given vicinity. Such information is then utilized to evaluate traffic flow. Information from the fixed poles is transmitted to a central computer which then assembles the information and commands the fixed poles to transmit pertinent information regarding conditions ahead to vehicles approaching such fixed transmission poles. Again, such a system is not practical or cost effective. The expenses of providing fixed transmission poles along major arterials would be prohibitive. In addition, commuters will not have access to information being transmitted until they approach within transmitting range of fixed locations. Thus, a commuter will not be advised in advance of a given location of the traffic conditions further along the commuter routing.
As a result of the ever increasing traffic slow-downs and tie-ups which effect business travelers and commuters, many individuals and businesses have begun or increased the use of mobile telephone services to allow their business people to conduct business when caught in time-consuming delays along commuter routes. Although mobile phones and phone services have not provided the commuter with ways to avoid traffic delays, such services do permit savings in business time and revenues and also make it possible for necessary information or decision making to transpire regardless of travel delays to and from a place of business.
Some additional examples of vehicle guide and control systems which are proposed for automatically routing vehicles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,845,289 to French and 4,009,375 to White et al.